Despite having no formal training as an artist other than a degree in civil engineering, Rosa’s pages are beautiful and detailed, with his characters possessing a slapstick weight to them that makes every single gag land beautifully, coupled with an incredible knack for building amazing story premises that deliver as the foundation for both comedy and adventure. He also has an impressive knack for character work, especially in stories that are nominally meant to always return their characters to the status quo by the end of each adventure. They’re always instantly and engagingly defined, and in the case of Life and Times, seeing Scrooge’s fall from the hope and optimism of youth to this adulthood as a bitter, jaded industrialist before ultimately ending up as an isolated, lonely recluse is one of the best character pieces I’ve ever read.

Don’t worry, though: The story ends with Scrooge meeting Donald and the Nephews just in time for his first appearance — taking him right back to that same status quo that fans already know and love.

Marvel Comics’ “Ms. Marvel,” DC Comics’ “Multiversity,” Image Comics’ “Saga” and Monkeybrain’s “Bandette” lead this year’s Eisner Award class with three or more nominations apiece. As publishers, Marvel, DC and Fantagraphics tied for the most nominations overall with 18 each, while Brian K. Vaughan received more nominations than any other single creator with four.

2014 was another record year for the Top 100, with more than 50 contributors to the list, and more than 200 comics nominated. The end result is as diverse of a list as you’d expect, with superhero mainstays standing along creator-owned favorites; publishing giants sharing space with self-published digital works. While no list can be an exhaustive collection of every noteworthy piece of work released in a year, the end result of the CBR Top 100 is a wide smattering of eclectic choices worthy of attention.

My comic trade and manga collection. Mostly Marvel (Marvel NOW!-era) with some Archieverse Sonic for spice. ^_^I got these Calvin and Hobbes books at a library sale last month. I still find the series pretty good.